Tag Archives: Brexit

Farmers to get soil health targets

Civil servants have revealed that the Government’s agricultural bill, which is expected to be published later this year, will include measures and targets to maintain and improve soil health.

However, comments made by Environment Secretary Michael Gove which suggest support could be prioritised or limited to those who practice min- or no-till cultivations have caused anger amongst farmers.

Rebecca Pow, parliamentary private secretary, told The Guardian that the bill would include regulation to meet the targets recent set out in the 25-year Environment Plan. “Healthy soil is essential, and there are ways of measuring it, such as the organic matter in the soil. Farmers can be given incentives to improve soil management, such as by crop rotation. It has taken a long time but I think we have turned the corner on getting soil on the political agenda,” she said.

However, speaking at an event in London last week, Michael Gove said the government would support reduced tillage. “We have to move away from our current system, which lacks effective incentives for long-term-thinking, to one that promotes investment in our shared future,” he said. “That will mean we pay farmers to improve the quality and fertility of their soil… “We want to reverse the trends of the past which have led to compaction and run-off, and which have polluted our rivers and choked our fish.”

Although lacking in details, many farmers have expressed concerns on social media that minimal tillage techniques are not suitable for all soils or crops and that any future approach needs to be flexible enough to reflect this.

Photo Credit: pxhere

The post Farmers to get soil health targets appeared first on Hort News on 21 March.

NFU responds to EU labour claims

The National Farmers’ Union has written to The Times to dispute the impression given by campaign group Migration Watch UK in an article that there is no labour crisis on UK farms.

Under the front page headline: ‘Record number of EU workers in Britain despite Brexit vote’ on 16 November, the newspaper referred to an Office for National Statistics (ONS) report showing that the number of EU citizens working in the UK is now at a record high of 2.37 million, despite last year’s referendum result.

Alp Mehmet, vice-chairman of Migration Watch UK, said the figures “show that predictions of a ‘Brexodus’ are nonsense,” adding that they threw into doubt claims that food is being left to rot in the fields due to lack of EU migrant labour.

In her letter, NFU Deputy President Minette Batters wrote: ‘The ONS data on EU citizens that your article refers to on the front page… doesn’t account for seasonal workers that come to the UK for less than 12 months – these make up the majority of the workforce. This is where fruit, veg and flowers growers in particular are already experiencing real difficulty. Our latest survey of recruiters in this area shows a worker shortage of 29% in September, raising the average shortfall for the year to 11%.

‘The British farming sector needs commitments from Government that, where needed, there will be sufficient numbers of permanent and seasonal workers from outside the UK in the run up to the UK leaving the EU and beyond.’

Photo Caption: Alp Mehmet, vice-chairman of Migration Watch UK

Photo Credit: YouTube

The post NFU responds to EU labour claims appeared first on Hort News on 22 November 2017.

Environment Secretary plans environmental watchdog

Defra secretary Michael Gove has said he wants to set up a new watchdog for environmental protection after Brexit.

The announcement, which was made on television and elaborated in an opinion piece on Monday by Mr Gove, has surprised many, particularly as his appointment was criticised by environmental campaigners who worried he would scrap many environmental protections.

Saying that the Common Agricultural Policy had ‘damaged our countryside’ he warned that transferring all existing European law, including environmental protections, into UK law ‘was not enough.’

“Without further action, there will be a governance gap. The environment won’t be protected as it should be from the unscrupulous, unprincipled or careless,” he said. “So we will consult on using the new freedoms we have to establish a new, world-leading body to give the environment a voice and hold the powerful to account. It will be independent of government, able to speak its mind freely.

“And it will be placed on a statutory footing, ensuring it has clear authority. Its ambition will be to champion and uphold environmental standards, always rooted in rigorous scientific evidence.”

He added that the consultation would be published in early 2018.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia – Michael Gove – UK Parliament official portraits 2017

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CLA says Brexit “is great opportunity” for farming

The CLA has called for a dedicated strategy which targets investment in supporting farmers to be more resilient, productive and profitable once the UK leaves the European Union.

The calls are made in a new paper from the organisation, which says efficiencies can be achieved in the industry through the adoption of new technologies and practices, including farmers and growers working more efficiently with each other and the supply chain.

CLA Deputy President Tim Breitmeyer commented, “Brexit is a major opportunity for agriculture. There are many important decisions to get right with regard to trade and transition, but there is significant cause for optimism.

“Success can be delivered through new policy that targets a range of measures and a clear investment strategy focused on improving the profitability and productivity of the farming industry should be part of this drive.  The Government and the industry must come together to develop this and our report provides a clear overview of where the priorities lie.

“Delivering profitable farming is one of three strands that make up the CLA’s vision for a post-Brexit Food, Farming and Environmental Policy. At its core is our strong belief that a profitable, resilient farming sector is the foundation of a thriving rural economy and the means to deliver for nature and the environment.”

Photo Credit: Pixart Bay

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UK apple growers approaching labour ‘cliff edge’

As the British apple season gets into full swing, producers have reiterated concerns about the availability of labour and the potential impacts on the future of the UK fruit industry.

“All British apples are picked by hand, which means that the harvest from orchards is highly labour-intensive,” Steven Munday, chief executive of English Apples and Pears told The Guardian. “We’re working hard with the National Farmers’ Union and other bodies to lobby for access to the required seasonal labour after Brexit.”

John Hardman of labour provider Hops added, “We have managed to scrape by this year but 2018 is going to be a cliff edge. Apples and pears are a particular problem because it’s such a short season – typically six weeks, which means we cannot attract UK workers because of the welfare system.”

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons

The post UK apple growers approaching labour ‘cliff edge’ appeared first on Hort News on 28 Sept 2017.

European produce industry publishes Brexit report

The European Fresh Produce Association, Freshfel, has published a position paper on the Impact of Brexit on the European fruit and vegetable industry.

It points out that the EU is a significant net exporter to the UK, with a trade flow of 3.1 million tonnes, worth €4 billion a year, with a high dependence of the UK on fresh produce supply from EU mainland. It also quotes recent research by Rabobank which suggests that, after animal protein, fresh produce will be the agricultural sector most affected by Brexit, a situation which will compound the recent loss of the €2 million tonne a year Russian market.

The top ten products supplied from Europe include tomatoes, onions, sweet peppers, cucumber, cauliflower, apples, pears, soft citrus, oranges and bananas, with the five largest suppliers being Spain, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Ireland. In contrasts, last year the UK exported just 310,000 tonnes of fresh produce, most of which went to Ireland, which is heavily depend on UK supply.

As with other industries, Freshfel also pointed to the effects of uncertainty, saying: ‘While acknowledging, that there might be a certain tariff & quota regime in place after the divorce, it is essential to define the new tariff regime at the earliest, to give operators calculation certainty after the 29th of March 2019 and to take potential cost increase into account.’

The full report can be found at http://freshfel.org/freshfel-position-paper-on-the-impact-of-brexit-on-the-eu-fruit-and-vegetable-industry/

Photo Credit: Freshfel

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G’s expands farming operations in Poland

Cambridge-based G’s Group shows no signs of slowing investment in its European farming operations despite the result of last summer’s Brexit referendum.

Since buying 120 ha of salad production near Warsaw in 2014, G’s Poland has doubled in size each year since to now stand at 950 ha of salads and vegetables. Despite the challenging climate, which can see heat waves giving way to heavy rain, Henry Shropshire, the company’s European Business Development Manager who lives in the country believes that Poland could become the centre of G’s European operations after Brexit.

“We are already successfully exporting small amounts of labour intensive products to our UK customers from Poland,” he said. “This should be relatively straight forward to increase if required. Therefore, with the uncertainty of Brexit, we are certain that whichever way the decisions go, we will have options to keep continuity of supply to our customers.”

His father John Shropshire, who is chairman of the G’s group of companies, recently told an Ipswich Suffolk Business Club lunch that he was worried about growing anti-British sentiments in Europe.

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Food industry petitions government ahead of Brexit

The British Retail Consortium (BRC), the National Farmers Union of England and Wales (NFU) and the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), has issued a joint statement to Government officials highlighting its core objectives and priorities for UK trade policy ahead of Prime Minister Theresa May triggering Article 50 to leave the European Union on 29 March.

In the statement, the signatories said, ‘The UK’s food supply chain – farmers, food and drink manufacturers and retailers – keeps the nation fed, ensuring consumers have access to a wide range of nutritional, quality foods at affordable prices. As the process of leaving the EU develops, the food supply chain will work together to ensure that our consumers continue to enjoy great quality, choice and value.

‘The UK food supply chain employs 3.9m people from farming through manufacturing to retail and food service and generates £108bn in value.’

Amongst their demands, was a call to ensure ‘a smooth and orderly Brexit by agreeing transitional arrangements that maintain frictionless trade in goods between the UK and the EU, avoiding costly and disruptive customs checks, processes and procedures.’ They also said there the UK should secure its fair share of any tariff rate quotas for agricultural imports and any preferential access for UK food and drink exports.

Photo Credit: Public Domain Pictures.

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Industry calls for trade agreement with Ireland

A group of leading representatives of the food and drink industries have written an open letter to the Government calling for an early agreement on future trade between the UK and Ireland.

Signatories to the letter included the Food & Drink Federation, Agricultural Industries Confederation, Fresh Produce Consortium, National Farmers Union and the Ulster Farmers Union. They point out that not only do the two countries share their only land border, but that the Republic of Ireland, ‘Buys more from us than the United States, China, Russia, Brazil, Canada and Japan combined. Nearly a fifth of UK food and drink exports go to Ireland, with more than a third of Ireland’s reaching UK shores.’ There is also a significant trade in raw materials between the two countries.

The authors of the letter represent the UK’s agri-food and drink sector which employs 4 million people, or 13.5 per cent of the UK workforce. They warn that, “A cliff-edge scenario that results in a sudden transformation to our trading arrangements with Ireland would be hugely damaging for our industry and for the wider economy on both sides of the border.”

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House of Lords warns of risk to farm support from Brexit

During a debate on the potential impacts of leaving the European Union on farm support in the UK, the House of Lords may leave farmers and growers lacking the support of their European competitors.

The debate was called by Conservative Baroness Anne McIntosh, a former shadow minister for environment, food and rural affairs and former chair of the EFRA Committee. She called on the government to reassure farmers in agri-environment schemes which are due to end prior to the conclusion of formal Brexit negotiations. She also raised the issue of the requirement for large numbers of season workers in areas such as horticulture.

Conservative Lord DeMauley, a former Defra minister and farmer, said, “It is surely unlikely that her majesty’s treasury, once it’s given back the ability to decide how UK taxpayers’ money is spent, will maintain the basic farm payment at anything like its current level.”

Lib Dem Lord Thomas of Gresford pointed out that comments made by Defra minster George Eustice at the Royal Welsh Show, when he said he could not guarantee that future agricultural support programmes would be as generous as support under the CAP, were contrary to assurances he had given during the Brexit campaign when Mr Eustice promised farmers would receive at least as much support funding as they currently do.

Photo Caption: Defra minister George Eustice MP was criticised for back tracking on his promise to maintain support for UK farmers.

Photo Credit: George Eustice

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